


Rainbow's End

by Pepper (Zalt)



Series: Walking the Rainbow [3]
Category: Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-08-05 09:52:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16365638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zalt/pseuds/Pepper
Summary: The Chimaera returns after being lost for a decade, and finds the galaxy has changed.





	Rainbow's End

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the weekly Friday Fluff challenge on the Thryce discord, part three of three starting with "There is no place like home". Now with Extra Fluff to make up for tense moments in the previous two installments.
> 
> (ap_trash_compactor has written a wonderful remix of this chapter called "Red Sky at Morning", check it out if you haven't!)

__The _Chimaera_ was in orbit around the world that had been nicknamed "Rainbow", the first living planet they had seen in a decade. The bridge view-port and every external screen on the ship was focused on the verdant world, turning slowly below them to reveal emerald continents surrounded by turquoise seas, dotted with fluffy white clouds and capped with ice at each pole. It looked like a paradise.

Grand Admiral Thrawn was not one to trust peaceful appearances. Several shuttles had been sent down to scout the planet, with armed guards and specialists to map the continents and analyze the atmosphere and biosphere, and most urgently to locate the raw materials they needed to effect repairs on the _Chimaera_. The rough trip through the nebula had taken its toll on the aging ship, and their original hope of calling for assistance from the Empire was quickly dashed.

Not yet knowing exactly where they were, and what the current state of the galaxy was, the Chimaera had been placed on comm silence until they could gather more information. Before long, they realized that the hypercomm messages they passively intercepted no longer held any mention of the Empire or the Emperor, referring instead to something called the New Republic. While there appeared to be some amount of strife related to the New Republic, it all seemed to be internal. A very cautious encrypted ping on the highest security channel available to them from a decade earlier received no reply, and Thrawn quickly decided against further attempts. They were on their own for now.

Their primary objective now was the overhaul of the _Chimaer_ _a._ Promising deposits of needed metals and minerals had been found on the planet, but turning these into useful parts for the ship would require bootstrapping their manufacture from the ground up, starting with building mines and the means to refine and process the ore. Once the ship was in something approximating combat ready shape they might chance contacting outside factions, perhaps even finding some imperial remnants to join up with. But that would be at least a year into the future, according to the most recent estimate from the corp of engineers.

Thrawn looked up from contemplating the planet on his console screen as the door hissed open and Ezra Bridger entered his office. The Jedi was wearing a standard imperial uniform, worn and carefully mended as all their gear was by now. Only the lack of rank markings and a dark beard differentiated him from the regular crew.

"Ras and Arihnda are waiting at the shuttle. Couldn’t keep the kid back even if we’ve not planned to leave for another half hour. Told her I’d go check with you if we could leave early." Ezra walked slowly up to the desk, and Thrawn quirked an eyebrow at him.

"A message you hardly needed to bring me in person, Ezra. Do you have any last minute reservations about going down to the planet?"

Ezra frowned, walking around the desk so he could look at the screen currently showing the peaceful planet below. "Not really. The place is very strong in the Force, but nothing about it feels wrong. It’s… balanced, I suppose. It’s just strange not to know what’s going to happen. " He rubbed at his neck. "All these years, I’ve known we’d get out eventually. But I don’t know what’s going to happen now. It’s weird. "

Thrawn rose, remarking dryly. "Welcome to the galaxy as experienced by the rest of us, Ezra Bridger. Very well, I see no problem in moving the schedule up a little. The outpost is as secure as it can be, and I would rather face whatever dangers might wait for us on the planet than try to hold Ras back any longer."

*

The shuttle flight was uneventful for the adults. For Ras, it was a new and exciting experience. She had never been allowed onto the shuttles occasionally scouting their old prison, the unstable environment of the nebula deemed too unsafe by her parents. Now she was allowed to sit up front where she could watch their descent into the atmosphere, squirming around on her seat in excitement and requiring frequent reminders to stay seated until they were safely landed.

Once they were down and the hatch opened, there was no restraining her. Leaping out of her seat she ran outside, eager steps pounding down the ramp. And then suddenly stopping. When the adults caught up with her, she was standing at the bottom of the ramp, red eyes wide with wonder as she stared up at the sky.

"It’s… so big." Her words were a barely audible whisper, and she took a hesitant step back, then another, until she was back in the shadow of the ship.

"That it is, kitten. Much bigger than the ship. It’s all right." Arihnda offered her hand to her daughter, who took it gratefully and held it in a white-knuckled grip. Then Thrawn stepped up on the other side, and she took his offered hand as well. Now securely between her parents, she regained her courage. "Ezra, come, see! It’s so big! And everything is green! And blue!" She took tiny steps forward, until Ezra chuckled and walked past her. He stopped a few meters away from the ship, remaining in the circle cleared of growth for the shuttles to land in, and turned in a slow circle. Then he closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath. "I’d forgotten how good unrecycled air smells. And how sun feels on the skin. I can hear _wind_!" He opened his eyes again, looking towards the distant edge of a forest beyond the outpost perimeter. There was a faint rustling sound growing louder, and then the gust of wind reached them, tugging at hair and clothing. Ras squeaked, a sound caught halfway between fear and delight. As Ezra laughed, she gave in to the latter, and laughed in delight herself. Tearing free, she made a dash across the open space separating her from Ezra, and threw herself at him to cling as fiercely to him as she had to her parents.

Ezra lowered himself to one knee, holding one arm securely around Ras as he pointed out the nearby sights with the other, provoking another cry of surprise and joy from the girl when they spotted a winged animal launching from the woods and climbing into the sky on colorful wings.

Thrawn offered his arm to Arihnda, and she took it. Together they stepped out into the new world.

*

Months later, the little outpost had grown into a proper settlement. Repairs on the _Chimaera_ were progressing at a slow and steady rate, by engineers and crew on rotation from what was now their primary home on the planet. The majority of the crew had settled quite happily to run the mines and factories, grow food, hunt , and continue building and expanding the settlement. Some had set up little industries turning out cloth and leather goods and other luxuries. There was no longer an Empire to fight for, and many were perfectly happy to rebuild their lives on this new found paradise. Families were forming now that there was once more a hope for the future.

Arihnda thrived in her new role administrating their settlement. After frustrating years on the _Chimaea_ where she had few responsibilities beyond raising Ras, she was finally able to use the full range of her skills and experience – first in helping the engineers setting up the mines, then in running their growing outpost. She kept track of production and supplies that were not directly related to military needs, set up the basics of a civilian bureaucracy, and made sure everyone who was planetside were supported according to their needs and contributed according to their skills. While the military rank structure stayed in place on the _Chimaera_ , there was no doubt that Arihnda Pryce was the true governor of civilian life on Rainbow, and she threw herself into the role with enthusiasm.

Thrawn was happy to see Arihnda happy. It was like watching a half-wilted flower come to life and unfold its petals to the sun after rain, and it freed him to spend more time with his daughter. Whenever he was not on the Chimaera overseeing repairs or otherwise dealing with military matters, he was with Ras. He watched her train with Ezra, applauded her skills, and was present when she discovered how to bond with one of the furry winged mammals ubiquitous to Rainbow. It had far too many teeth and claws for his liking, but both Ezra and Ras were comfortable around the animal and assured him it presented no threat. Ras named it "Kitty", and wherever she went, so did Kitty.

*

One sunny day, nearly a full local year after their arrival, Thrawn and Ras and Ezra (and Kitty) had gone exploring in the nearby forest. They found a small clearing with sweet berries, competed to see who could climb the highest in the massive trees (Ras won), and raced sticks and leaves along the bubbling brook twisting through the forest. They were just discussing whether it was time to turn back home when a sudden loud rumble overhead made the decision for them. The green canopy above had hidden the approach of dark clouds, and now a thunderstorm was rapidly gathering. They broke into a run, racing the storm back to the settlement. When Ras faltered, Thrawn picked her up and gave her a ride on his back, to her great delight. Still, they did not make it back in time before the clouds were thick and roiling above them, lighting flashing and being followed by a massive shower of rain. They were all completely drenched by the time they made it into the settlement, the rain tapering off just as they separated to head to their respective homes.

Ras and Thrawn stopped outside the door to their house to wring out their clothes as best as they could before going inside. Then Ras looked up, and gasped in delight. "Look, daddy!" Above them, a brilliant rainbow spanned the sky in glorious color. They both watched in awe until it faded from sight, then Thrawn shooed his daughter inside to get her into some dry clothing.

Once they were dry and had eaten a warm dinner Thrawn prepared, they curled up together on the makeshift couch in the main room, wrapped in a colorful blanket made from local fibers by an enterprising crew member. Ras was snug in the crook of Thrawn’s arm with Kitty beside her as he told her stories from his childhood, tales of ancient Chiss and their clever deeds, many of them about heroic young women who happened to look a lot like Ras. Ras yawned, and snuggled closer, and finally fell asleep. Thrawn was still contemplating whether to risk waking her by carrying her to her bed when sleep overcame him as well.

That was how Arihnda found them, still asleep, when she returned well after nightfall after a long day at her office dealing with the last preparations for the Planetfall celebrations coming up at the one year anniversary of their arrival. She watched her family in the faint light from the doorway. Kitty cracked one eye open at her arrival, then snuggled close to Ras again and went back to sleep.

Arihnda tip-toed in. The blanket had slid down from Thrawn, and she tried to pull it up to cover him again. But the slight motion was enough to wake him up, light sleeper that he was. Faintly glowing red eyes met hers, then he smiled and extricated himself very carefully from the rest of the blanket, tucking it lightly around Ras before taking Arihnda’s hand and going with her to their bedroom.

Thrawn pulled Arihnda into a gentle embrace, enjoying the warmth of her body against his and the way the blue dress (another product of local ingenuity) felt under his hands where it followed the curves of her body. A body, he realized, that was stiff with tension. Pulling back a little, he studied her carefully, then murmured quietly in a habit aquired from years of trying not to wake Ras, who had inherited her fathers pattern of sleeping lightly.

"What is wrong?" He stroked her hair back where it had fallen into her face, waiting patiently for her to respond as she avoided his gaze, visibly struggling with her reply.

Arihnda finally looked up, her eyes bright and troubled. "Planetfall is almost here. The year is up. I know you have held back on telling everyone that work on the _Chimaera_ is done and that we are ready to depart. It makes sense, I suppose, to want to make that reveal during the celebrations. But… I need to know."

"What do you need to know?"

"What will happen now. Where will you go? Will you return to your people? The Chiss, I mean… You told me you were only in the Empire in the hope of building a useful alliance, and now the Empire is gone." She plucked at the front of his shirt, a nervous gesture. "You won’t need Ras anymore, the scouts have found normal hyperlanes to travel. If we disband the settlement… you won’t need me."

He blinked slowly, as he finally realized what she was saying. "Oh, Arihnda. I am so sorry."

Her eyes widened in alarm, a heartbreaking sight, and he spoke swiftly to dispell her fear. "I am sorry that I have left you to wonder. Of course I am not leaving you. Or Ras. I thought it was obvious beyond saying. I was wrong." He grasped her hand, so cold to the touch, and raised it to press his lips to it before holding it tightly in his own. "I love you, Arihnda. I love every part of you, body and mind. I love the way you make me feel. I love our life together, and our daughter. I would never leave you." He kissed her hand again, no longer so cold. "This last year has been the happiest of my life, my love. And if you will have me, I will stay. The galaxy has managed without us so far, it can manage a little longer."

Arihnda drew a trembling breath, then melted against him, the tension draining from her body as she leaned against his solid presence. She whispered softly. "I love you. Stay with us. Always."

Holding her close with reverent hands, he sealed his promise with a kiss.

 

– The End –


End file.
